Down Memory Lane

The kids have become great little travelers, and it's a good thing because this trip down memory lane required a lot of travel.

We boarded a plane to Manila then drove 7 hrs north to the small mountain village where my (Jen's) parents worked when I was little. We were thrilled that my parents were able to join us this time!

This was the 1st time in 13 yrs that my mom had been up there, and it was so special to see her reconnecting with old friends.
The reason we went up was to do a "consultation" - a thorough check of the status of the church and community to determine what help they might need to be able to send out some of their own to reach the unreached. My dad outlined the vision for them on the chalkboard - the life-giving water had flowed to them as a tribe, but we want to help them keep the flow going onto other tribes (like the Agta where we work). It also shows the different aspects of both "life" and "livelihood" that need to be in place for them to be an effective sending body.

The first step was drawing a map that shows all the villages in their tribe, which ones have functioning churches, schools, clinics, etc.

Then came the questions -hundreds of them over the course of several days - that delved into their strengths and weaknesses, both spiritual and physical. We were excited to see the strength of the church and their desire to send out workers. There are a lot of details to fall into place; pls be praying with us!

Besides the meetings, we also spent a lot of time just visiting with the people. Precious times.

So what did the kids do while the adults sat through long meetings in an over-heated chapel?

Played at the river with their friends of course!

Zach watching longingly as the boys rock climbed and jumped into the river (he got to try his skills later).

It was so much fun to watch my kids playing at the river where I spent so many happy hours as a kid.

somehow the jump off this rock seemed a lot more dangerous when it was my kids rather than me doing it.! :) (but don't worry, we checked it out carefully 1st!)

the kids singing a special number in church

bet you can't find our 2! :)

The kids also hung out with friends while we were in meetings - here is Ben with my best childhood friend from the village. You can see the remnants on his lips of them spoiling him with orange soda. :)

who needs fancy toys when u have a pile of rocks?

Zach made some great friends - Lu and Jemwel

Mikayla got close with my best friend's 2 girls - Almera and Angelika

catching crabs. cute story - after a day of crab hunting at the river, that night Ben got up (sleep walking) and proceeded to hunt for crabs under his pillow/mattress/etc until he found 2 and tucked them into his hand before he curled up to sleep again. Sweet dreams!

snuggle time with Papa

This baby had the sweetest smile and giggle - the boys had a blast playing peek-a-boo with him

everyone loves a picture!

Ben spent several minutes playing with this little girl's hair. She had no idea he was there. So cute!

This precious little one is named May, and she captured our hearts.

And apparently we captured hers too because when it was time for us to leave, she desperately wanted to go with us! She cried pitifully that she didn't want to be left behind - we could still hear her crying as we drove out of the village. :(

Once we were back in Manila, we enjoyed a juicy burger at Fridays before we said goodbye to Grandma. O and some coloring.

We miss you already!

And here are some random shots around the village...

Shawn's Visit

Shawn, a friend from our home church, just came for a visit. Even though our time was short (only 48 hrs!), we were so blessed by his visit.

Zach hanging out in a tribal hut
This precious old lady tugs at my heart strings every time we see her.

Ben made a new friend and had fun building things out of sticks and rocks. Just being boys!

It sometimes feels to us that we are not accomplishing anything when we are just hanging around with the people, but I really think that it is during those "down" times that God is doing mighty things in bonding our hearts to theirs.

One of the main jobs in this particular village is shredding down abaka fibers. It looks like the stalk of a banana tree when it starts, but when they are done (MANY hours of tedious work), it is a long, incredibly strong string tied end to end. It can then be sold to be used in weaving.

Shawn was such an encouragement to us in his time with us, and the people enjoyed meeting him as well. He did great in all the different places - and different foods. :)

So who else wants to come visit this gorgeous corner of God's creation?

those eyes...

hanging out in another village - check out the windchimes on the right-hand side. We are in the throes of helping them start a small-scale business to sell these at tourist festivals...pray all the details come together so that they can start making a living!

The kids have been learning a lot more Tagalog lately, and they have a blast in the village with the kids. They get absolutely FILTHY, but they sure have fun. :)

studying the Word together

this is where one of the churches meets - called a bahay kubo here

We had a GREAT time while Shawn was here, but his visit was cut short by a middle of the night call from the States that his father had passed away. Please pray for him and his family as they grieve this loss. Our hearts go out to them.

Everyday Sights

Everyday for us, maybe not for you...

man riding a carabao (water buffalo) through the village

street scene...

that little trimobile (motorscooter with a sidecar) is called a trisikel and is one of the most common modes of transport -- as are their man-powered pedi-cab alternative called a padyak

padyaks don't just transport people - here he is hauling a load of peeled coconuts notice the family behind him on the motor scooter - the most common family vehicle

a bangka out on the ocean

the infamous jeepney

their motto? "ALWAYS room for one more!"

the meat market...

just be glad they haven't figured out how to post smells on a blog

the vegetable marketthe fish market
a common meal served with rice

carabao (water buffalo) pulling a cart
cookstoverunning through the rice fields

a little sari-sari store...sari means variety...

they sell a little of this and a little of that

and are found on every corner

lots of different transportation options

firewood for sale, clothes drying
training fighting cocks just a house

Full Weekend

Thanks for praying for us this past weekend. Steve's SIX hour hike across the mountains with the guys went well (though he did have some good stories to tell of him sliding down the trail on several occasions - he said he had never seen anywhere as steep and slippery as that trail! At one point he was sliding down the trail with one leg in front of him and one behind him...great mentail picture there... :) ). Meanwhile, my drive around the mountains with the kids and the other people who couldn't hike went really well too. The teaching in the book of Romans was great, and he felt like he really connected with the group. He also was able to have some deep discussions and discover some more of the cultural barriers they are facing to clear understanding. Please be in prayer with us as we seek His wisdom in how best to address these.

Here are some great pics from his hike.

Thanks for standing with us in prayer. Thanks too for those of you who are taking the time to encourage us with a note - we sure need it!

A Few Requests

Hey there, everyone. Just wanted to let you know a few requests you can be lifting up for us. First off, this is a big weekend for us. Steve hiked 6 hrs from one village across the mountains to another village with a group of 8 guys to study the Word together with the group there. They are studying through Romans. The texts I have gotten from Steve are very encouraging, and we can't wait to see what God will do through this time. And he brought the camera so hopefully I can post some pics when he gets home on Monday. :) Pray too for the kids and I as we go it alone here and press on with school.

Another request has to do with an upcoming ministry opportunity. We will be partnering with an organization called Global Empowerment to work towards empowering a tribal church to send out some of their very own to bring the Truth to an unreached people group - hopefully right here to partner with us to reach the Agta people. It is a huge endeavor, and we desperately need your prayer. There are also some concrete ways that you can be involved in this project; if you want more details, just let me know so that I can send you some more details about what is going on.